You are listening to the St. Jose Maria Institute podcast.

Please enjoy today's meditation.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me.

I adore you with profound reverence. I ask your pardon for my sins. And the grace to make this time

of prayer fruitful.

My Immaculate Mother St. Joseph, my Father and Lord, my guardian angel, and deceit for me.

Our thanksgiving that we want to offer to our Lord, through Jesus Christ and His immaculate Mother Mary, would be incomplete if we didn't make serious reference and reflection on the role of St.

Jose Maria's right-hand man for 40 years,

whose sanctity has been recognized officially by the Catholic Church.

Alvar del Portillo is now Blessed Alvar del Portillo is now blessed Alvaro del Portillo.

Ultimately, we bring saints, and to be technical, the blessed, to our contemplation of the life of Jesus, since the church recognizes

that like St. Paul, a saint and a blessed can say,

it is no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me.

Certain individuals, I'm not saying that they are better disciples than others who do not get recognized officially by the church,

but those individuals as a way of helping the faithful are declared by the church as role models.

I'm grateful to God that he has been declared that.

I am eternally grateful to the Lord myself because I was studying for the priesthood

in the late 70s when Blessed Alvaro was the prelate of Opistay,

even though he did not have that canonical title.

He was the one in charge.

Little did I know, though not surprising,

...